Messy, cluttered & random bits

[NomsQualityStreets]

I can never keep on top of my house.

It's a small terrace and there's 4 of us including a toddler and DDog so we are a bit cramped and there's barely any storage.

Main issues are:

• worktop as you walk into the house and everything gets dumped onto it, letters, random bits we pick up off the floor if DS drops it, pens, keys etc and it always ends up full of stuff.

• toybox full off good stuff but because it's deep and lots of bits are under other stuff some don't get used but everytime I've sorted it and gotten rid of the stuff that's broken etc it still leaves lots of toys in it as they are actually good but most of the time can't be seen < not envy

• bedroom with lots of clothes and laundry everywhere as we've crap wardrobes and too many clothes

• everytime I declutter an area I end up finding lots of random bits and bats I have no clue what to do with, so I usually leave them and they create another little pile

I really want to deep clean the house, wash the carpets etc but I can't ATM as there's just crap everywhere I turn.

Where do I even start?

I think you just start. Pick a room or pick an item group, like clothes. I got on top of my living room and bathroom first and made a point of keeping those nice as I found that inspired me to continue. It's great to have one place you can chill out and host too. After that, maybe do clothes? Good luck with it.

Agree with above and have the courage to throw stuff out. Have a place for everything or it is trash.

Also, limit your buying and have a rule of one in-one (or more) out. Getting rid of one or more things a day really helps too. We've got a thread about that - come and join us!

I am absolutely not a paragon of virtue with this but my advice

- worktop as you walk into the house and everything gets dumped onto it, letters, random bits we pick up off the floor if DS drops it, pens, keys etc and it always ends up full of stuff.
Zero tolerance. I put a spiky houseplant on ours, and I remove ANYTHING that gets put there. Clutter attracts clutter. Just one "I'll move it later" is breeding grounds for a mess in no time at all. So, zero tolerance. Anything put there gets removed and put away immediately. One basket for keys. One basket for paperwork. One basket for 'random'. And that's it.

- toybox full off good stuff but because it's deep and lots of bits are under other stuff some don't get used but everytime I've sorted it and gotten rid of the stuff that's broken etc it still leaves lots of toys in it as they are actually good but most of the time can't be seen envy < not envy
Get rid of toy box that doesn't work (or repurpose it to something e.g. just soft toys/blankets/whatever). Use smaller crates/boxes for separate bits. Trofast or similar?

- bedroom with lots of clothes and laundry everywhere as we've crap wardrobes and too many clothes
My bedroom suffers. Can't help you here

- everytime I declutter an area I end up finding lots of random bits and bats I have no clue what to do with, so I usually leave them and they create another little pile blush
Throw them out? If they are genuinely not anything you know what to do with you should bin them. If you know what to do with them but you just don't have a "place" for them you need to create one. Do it immediately, don't set aside for later. Because clutter breeds clutter as per above.

Also, I was really inspired by the Minimalists' documentary. It's on Netflix. You don't have to become a minimalist but it certainly made me think about what you really need to have a good and happy life. There's just no point having loads of stuff if you can't enjoy it (or even get to it in some cases).

Start bagging stuff up and take it to charity. Just do it. Life's so much easier with less stuff.

Are you me OP? My house is just like this...

Have you a space where you can allocate say a drawer or basket to each family member ? This really helped us keep on top of all the crap - also it means you have a good chance of knowing where your stuff is.

A really good purge of clothing is needed. You have to be ruthless. And realistic about how much clothing each person needs.i now have a wardrobe of stuff I wear regularly. Although husband still has 50 billion shirts and t shirts.

Someone mentioned upthread about the messy worktop. If something has a designated place it becomes easier to tidy away. I am so naturally messy and this has really helped me.

If you don't have a huge amount of clothes storage then you need to get rid of some clothes. The size of your house and amount of storage space is the deciding factor in how much 'stuff' you can have!

A big purge of stuff will help. Toy boxes don't work, it's easier to divide into sub categories (Lego/Duplo), craft stuff etc. One box played with at a time rule.

What random stuff do you find - do you need it?? If not, get rid of it.

I would really recommend reading Marie Kondo's Life Changing Magic of Tidying, which is wonderful for tackling clutter permanently. Decluttering by category rather than location has really helped me. Even if you don't want to follow the whole Kondo system, you might find it helpful for ideas, especially working out why you have problem areas and how to store things more effectively.